


Trust

by IAmStoryteller



Series: Never Practical [9]
Category: Batman and Robin (Comics), Robin (Comics), Shazam (Comics)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Arguing, M/M, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-07
Updated: 2015-02-07
Packaged: 2018-03-10 22:45:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3306158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IAmStoryteller/pseuds/IAmStoryteller
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in the Proper Verse.  Several months of giving a relationship a try, they get into their first huge fight as a couple.  This leads to several interesting conclusions…</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trust

Damian was worried (he was the son of a paranoid superhero and an eco-terrorist with a mad father and he was very paranoid himself). Billy was set to call him five minutes ago. Since they lived in different cities and they both were busy with their lives as superheroes and young adults, Damian rarely got to see Billy. They managed to come to terms with calling each other at specific times that matched their schedules for that week. A few times before Damian had been late calling and so had Billy, as it turned out. Both were the super-excuse, where there was a case on Damian’s side or a on the fly robbery or major threat for Billy.

Damian already checked the footage in Fawcett City and found that there was nothing unusual going on, except a few sightings of Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr., along with the other members of Billy’s rambunctious family. Captain Marvel hadn’t been sighted. Yes, he was paranoid and the Alpha instincts in his mind screamed at him to go and find his William, immediately. 

Then the phone rang. Damian answered it after the second ring not to sound too much like he was impatiently waiting for the call. “William?”

“Hey, Damian, sorry about being late for the call. Cissie wanted me to meet her latest boyfriend. She’s not happy that I scared him off,” said Billy. Damian rolled his eyes, scoffing. Cissie Summerly was Billy’s beta best friend and fellow co-blogger at WHIZ Media. “So, what’s the latest over in Gotham? Who broke out of Arkham this week?”

Damian snorted. “Penguin, but that is neither here nor there, William.”

“Why do you sound like you’re mad at me,” asked Billy, sighing.

“I am not mad at you,” said Damian. “I was just concerned that you didn’t call on time.” He heard Billy sigh.

“Damian, I am capable of taking care of myself, if you recall correctly. No one is just going to randomly kidnap me off the streets,” said Billy. Damian knew that Billy had a frown on his face. It was always a touchy topic with Billy. Billy being a low-level Omega had always passed for a Beta, until puberty hit him hard. The dynamics of a traditional Alpha-Omega relationship had always been very biased against the Omega and it was Damian that had the nerve to begin this relationship (no matter how tenuous it was). Billy did not want nor need Damian to be a typical Alpha, with the protectiveness and the like to go along with it. Damian logically knew that Billy was fully capable, he had always been, but with them getting closer and the bond stronger, Damian’s Alpha urges were getting harder to control.

He had no idea how Jason and Cassandra controlled theirs so well.

“I know,” said Damian. “Forgive me. I don’t doubt your abilities.”

“Good. Want to go to the movies tomorrow morning in Fawcett,” asked Billy. Damian assented and they set up where they would meet (because Billy refused for Damian to pick him up at the Vasquez house).

If Damian was pleased with his upcoming date, his whole family said nothing about it. They were all unsure, especially Richard and the exception being Bruce and Alfred, if he and Billy would make it, considering the tense friendship they had prior and their startlingly different personalities. His mother, thankfully, had not heard about his relationship with Billy Batson, yet and thus, he was safe from that conversation with his psychotic mother.

“Robin, I need you to get to the Penguin’s nightclub and find the Catwoman’s former fence from the Falcone family. There’s a new thief out there with a feline motif,” said Batman, his father. Selina lived at the Manor, on and off, as usual these days. His father had a type and they were most definitely Alpha women (Selina, Talia, Diana, just to name a few). Bruce Wayne was a beta, oddly enough, but he acted like one of the toughest Alpha males that even Jason, Cassandra, and Selina respected him that much. Damian loved his father a lot and looked up to him.

“Not a problem,” said Robin. He was eighteen and recently he had been thinking that he was beginning to outgrow the role, but his father needed him at the moment. 

Thus, Robin found himself in a rather annoying predicament. Ivy had to have been in the black market, dealing alpha and omega hormones (They were easy enough to create from certain plants), because the young woman calling herself Tigress smelled kind of distracting. Tigress had to be around his age.

It was not the first time he was faced with an Omega throwing themselves at him. As Damian Wayne, a known Alpha (he and Billy were not public with their relationship and never intended to be, as they both agreed), he had many lady and male suitors from rich families with an Omega child. Marrying into the Wayne family would be good for anyone. As Robin, there were plenty of Omega and Beta criminals that flirted with him.

Unfortunately for them all, he had long since had eyes for only one Omega and that was Billy.

Not to say that he was not attracted to no one other than Billy, because this Tigress was rather enchanting and he was beginning to wonder if Ivy sold her some of that annoying sex pollen that Richard and Drake complained about often enough.

“I wish I could see your eyes, handsome,” purred Tigress. “I bet anything that you have beautiful brown eyes…or maybe icy blues.” Damian bided his time, even though he was tied to the pipe in the abandoned apartment.

“Well, I can see yours, brown-eyed girl,” said Damian, thanking Todd for the musical reference at the moment. “You are in a lot of trouble. Catwoman took offense that you are trying to replace her.”

Tigress sniffed. “Then, why ain’t she here, then, pretty boy?” Damian noted the accent. The girl had the same terrible language habits as Jason Todd. She was from Crime Alley or nearby at least. 

“Because, you stole something from the Wayne-Kane Foundation’s exhibit at the museum and Bruce Wayne bankrolls Batman Incorporated. The rich weirdo wants his grandmother’s jewels back,” said Robin, scoffing. Easily, he pressed the button on his gauntlets and cut the zip-tie holding him. “I wonder if you are as any good at fighting as you are flirting, brown-eyes.”

Damian was still so much better than the poorly trained Tigress, who was quick on her feet but lacking the discipline and was too small to be a bruiser. He handcuffed her together in five minutes. “Now, I am calling the police and you are giving back what you stole.”

“I can’t,” she whispered. “You have to let me go, Robin!” Something changed in her. Something he recognized—a fearful teenager. She had been acting this whole time—as a flirty Omega temptress. He sensed it now. She was just a beta. His father really needed to do something about Ivy’s black market hormones and pollens. “Please, I’ll get the jewels back after I get the payment to give to Black Mask. I’ll steal them back and give them back to Mr. Wayne, I promise.”

Robin sighed. “What did you get yourself into, girl?”

He wondered if Richard’s do-gooder tendencies rubbed off on him far too much, or that maybe he was getting soft or maybe he just couldn’t stand the tears in the girl’s big brown eyes. 

_~_~_~_~

Billy sighed for the tenth time. He was standing in front of the movie theater and Damian was a half-hour late. It was completely unlike him to be tardy. However, it could have been any number of things—from family business (super or actually family issues) or Wayne Foundation matters. Still, Damian should have called him. Rarely did they go on dates, and usually no one knew that they were on a date, because they didn’t act like they were together or anything in public at all.

Sometimes, it bothered Billy and sometimes it didn’t. It was one of the times that it was starting to bother him again—like Damian was embarrassed or ashamed to be open about their relationship. Logically, he knew that Damian was just a private person. Billy was too, to an extent. 

Against his better judgment, Billy agreed to give an actual relationship with Damian a try. He did love Damian, been in love since he was sixteen, but Billy had been very wary of being a male Omega in a relationship with another male who was Alpha. They were taking things very slow, making their own pace, but sometimes Billy wondered if Damian was actually in love with him or just the idea of him. Billy knew his feelings were true, but Damian was hard to read sometimes and he was not overtly affectionate with his words or his actions.

Damian being late was driving him crazy. Thus, Billy sent Damian a text that he was not going to wait anymore and went home. 

“He stood you up,” growled Mary, ready to fly to Gotham to pound Damian to the ground. (Damian wouldn’t never fight her back, they had a strange agreement that Billy was not privy too).

“I’m sure that he has a good reason,” said Billy, rolling his eyes. “It’s not like I haven’t stood him up. We’re both busy superheroes and we have big families that we sometimes have to deal with.” Mary frowned.

“I suppose,” said Mary. Freddy grinned.

“Bet it was a damsel in distress that distracted Damian. You know how Robins are, always having to save the crying girl,” said Freddy. Billy glared at his best friend. Freddy looked innocently at him. “What? I’m just saying…”

“Oh, Freddy, Damian’s not like Dick or Tim or even his father, you know that,” said Mary, scolding.

Billy relented and rolled his eyes.

It was just that Freddy said something that irked Billy inside his heart. A fear, actually, or insecurity that Damian would leave him for a pretty girl that would be his perfect match and they would be so freaking happy and wonderful together. Damian certainly attracted many people. He knew that Damian’s friends—the current Batgirl (Nell Jones) and the vigilante Abuse (Colin Wilkes)—both once had crushed on the Robin. 

Billy hated feeling that way. Damian was a loyal person to a default and Billy trusted him. And Damian was trying to control his overtly Alpha tendencies for Billy’s peace of mind, so yes, Damian did care enough to try.

_~_~_~

Damian sighed as he opened Billy’s bedroom window. It was not the first nor the last time not going through the front door. Billy was at his desk, working on an article for his blog. 

“Good. You didn’t get hurt,” said Billy, in greeting, nonchalantly.

“I had a case that took longer than expected,” said Damian, pulling his hood off his head. “I told Oracle to text you for me. I suppose she didn’t?”

“Nope,” said Billy, standing up, stretching and then he sat back down. “It’s not a big deal, Dami, honest. You and I both know that this won’t be the last time either of us gets distracted by life.”

Damian nodded. He did feel bad about not showing up to the date. They had very little dates. In fact, they rarely got to see each other, unless the world was ending that week or someone was trying to take over the world. “So, what’s this week’s topic?” Damian sat on his bed.

Billy snorted. “Mayoral elections this month, after Captain Marvel ousted the last mayor as a Sivana puppet.” Damian frowned. “What?”

“I will never understand why you refer to Captain Marvel in the third person, when you are Captain Marvel,” replied Damian. Billy shrugged.

“It’s kind of complicated. You know that Captain Marvel isn’t really me-me, I’m the Wizard’s Champion’s avatar,” he replied. “I know that the Captain refers to be as Billy.”

“God, you really are a schizophrenic magical midget,” retorted Damian. Billy threw his paper weight at Damian, who dodged it. Damian merely smirked.

“And you are still an insane ninja assassin,” said Billy, in response.

“Thank you,” replied Damian, smirking.

When the two first met when they were ten years old, Damian did not take it well that his father had gotten along so well with another boy Damian’s age. Damian called Billy a ‘schizophrenic magical midget’ and Billy responded with Damian being ‘psychotic knife-obsessed mini-ninja assassin.’ Damian then punched Billy in the face and Billy kicked Damian in the shin. Wonder Woman was not amused at Bruce and Clark just watching Billy and Damian fighting each other. She broke up their ten year old fight and told them that they were going to shake hands and be friends.

(See where that led them, Diana, good job).

“So, what was the case about,” said Billy, curious.

“Well, there was this new feline-themed thief Tigress,” said Damian. “She gotten into debt by borrowing money from Black Mask for her foster sister’s medical treatments. She stole my great-grandmother’s jewels to sell on the black market to pay Black Mask back or Black Mask was going to kill her and her foster family.” Billy laughed.

“Oh my God, Freddy was actually right and you did get distracted by a pretty crying girl,” said Billy.

Damian glared at him. “Anyway, with Batgirl’s help, we got Lyla out of trouble. Her foster sister mysteriously won a contest and the Wayne Foundation is now providing medical treatments free of charge. In return, Lyla agreed to be trained by me to be my source in the thieving circles.”

“Wow, either you’ve been listening to my speeches far too much about duty and protecting everybody or you really just have a really big heart,” said Billy. Damian flushed red at the implication. “Oh, calm down, you’ve been tamed a long time ago and you know it. Still, it might be dangerous to train this Lyla person.”

“She’ll get herself killed if she’s not trained properly. It is why Brown took Jones under her wing,” said Damian. “Lyla, despite saving her foster sister, has no intention of stopping her nighttime excursions.”

Billy rolled his eyes. “I guess you really do need someone to coddle and take care of, huh?”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Well, I certainly don’t need you to coddle me. You need someone to take care of, that needs you,” replied Billy.

Damian’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t need me?” Damian felt rather insulted at the implication of the matter at hand.

Billy rolled his eyes. “Ah, don’t be like that. I didn’t mean it like that. I want you more than I need you, that’s all.”

“And you’re saying that I have this need to take care of people that need to be taken care of? Somehow I feel like you are accusing me of something,” replied Damian, in a curt sort of tone. Billy sighed. He wondered why he opened big fat mouth sometimes.

“I am doing no such thing, Damian. I think it’s a great thing that you’re helping that girl,” said Billy. “I mean, you can have as many friends as you want. If you think she’s worth the time, then its fine with me, not that you need my permission for anything.”

Damian stared at Billy, confused. “How come this isn’t bothering you more? You know I hate it when you hang out with Summerly, Sutton, Okum, Freeman and everyone else in your group. I even hate it when you go off with the Justice League and the Justice League includes my own father!” Billy smiled, half-heartedly.

“Because you’re a paranoid Bat and you don’t completely trust that I will stay with you, unless you have my undivided attention,” said Billy. (Damian did not need to know the extent of the insecurity of Billy’s heart, because Billy had to be a good, logical person).

“Are you saying that I don’t trust you?”

“I just keep putting my foot in my mouth,” said Billy, sighing. “Don’t take it to heart. Let’s just forget I said anything. So, I take it she only knows that you’re Robin and not Damian Wayne, then?”

Damian was extremely annoyed, now. “No, let’s go back to the part where my significant other believes that I don’t trust him.”

“I know you trust me, you just have control issues,” Billy replied. He got up from his chair again and crossed his arms. “Don’t be like this, Damian.”

“Like what? Just because I want to know you’re safe, doesn’t me that I have control issues!”

“Oh, so you don’t have a tracker on my phone and my laptop and that watch that you bought me,” asked Billy, making a face. Damian grimaced. “I don’t care that you have trackers on me. Bruce also has trackers on me. And I am pretty sure that Beautia Sivana also does. I know that you are a paranoid person and a cynic on top of that, which is fine, because that’s who you are.”

Damian glared at him. “What the hell do you know about me, Batson? You’re the one that doesn’t trust me. Keeping at arm’s length will only serve to make me continue to worry about your well-being. And I am not the only one that you push away.”

Billy opened his mouth to respond, but realized that Damian was partly right, but it was not that Billy did not trust Damian---Billy did not trust himself. For every time he got close to someone, they get hurt or die or leave him. Being who he was, being Captain Marvel put everyone he loved in harm’s way. If it was up to him, he would separate himself from everyone if only to protect them. But you can’t take away any person’s free will.

“I do trust you. I trust you more than everyone. But I’m trying to get through this block in my mind where maybe someday you’ll get tired of me and then you’ll leave—I never want to trap you in anything,” he responded.

Damian growled. “You are not breaking up with me, William. It’s not an impossibility that I want to wind up being with you for the rest of my life.”

Billy had been the one that was hesitant to start a relationship with Damian, in fear of…in fear of something he couldn’t quite name.

But it was Damian that was there for him when he needed someone to take the burden off being Billy Batson, the Champion of the Wizard, Captain Marvel, the responsible brother, the dependable best friend. How did it turn out that Damian was more ready for a relationship than Billy? Damian was raised by cold-blooded assassins, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, two of the most emotionally retarded people he knew. 

“Don’t you think I’m petrified of screwing this relationship up too? You’ve been one of my closest friends for years now and if I ever make you hate me, I would not handle it well, William. I’m trying but I need you to try more too!”

Damian stormed out through the bedroom window.

Billy groaned. What the hell just happened?

_~_~_~_

Damian sat on his motorcycle for ten minutes, before realizing that he was overreacting again. He knew that he had a bad habit. He sighed. It was not fair to accuse Billy of not caring about Damian. Billy cared. He was just distant. And Damian was not good at voicing his feelings. They were male. No males were raised to voice feelings.

Relationships were hard. 

He went back to Billy’s bedroom window and climbed back in. Billy was still sitting on his bed, quietly and in deep thought.

“I’m sorry I’m not good at this, Damian. I do get jealous sometimes, you know, but I always learned that those feelings aren’t good ones. It is better just to deal with it inside,” said Billy, ruefully. “In all honesty, I’m not too thrilled about you spending so much time with a mysterious and pretty girl.”

“How do you know she’s pretty?”

“All girls are pretty in their own way, you know,” said Billy, with a small smile. “But I trust you. And I love you, even if I don’t say it often and even though you are an insane ninja assassin.”

Damian knew his face was red. “Well, I love you too, William. Even if you are a schizophrenic magical midget.”

“We need to work more on the relationship.”

“Agreed. I’m going to talk to Selina and you talk to Beautia, for advice, because obviously we are hopeless.”

Billy just laughed. They were hopeless, weren’t they? As long as they tried, Damian figured that they would okay.

~for now  
The end


End file.
